Winners of 2012 Disposable Film Festival Health Announced

Practice Fusion and the Disposable Film Festival honor original, inspiring stories about health and healthcare from aspiring filmmakers around the globe

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 18, 2012 – Practice Fusion today announced the winners of the second annual Disposable Film Festival Health competition. Selected from submissions from filmmakers around the world, these films showcase engaging stories about health and healthcare from the unique perspective of patients, doctors and institutions. This year’s grand prize winner, screened alongside other winners at Practice Fusion’s San Francisco headquarters on Oct. 8, was a film entitled “OláGolá All-Ireland Skydive for the Prevention of Suicide,” created by Nathanael Macdonald, a 15 year-old aspiring filmmaker based in Ireland.

“I’m truly honored to be selected as a winner in this competition,” said Macdonald. “To know that my film is reaching a worldwide audience is incredibly exciting, and humbling. I feel privileged to be able to share the story of the OláGolá All-Ireland Skydive for the Prevention of Suicide, a group that is doing so much to tackle a stigmatized issue that has taken far too many lives and cannot be ignored any longer.”

Each submission was evaluated based on its originality, its unique perspective and its relevance to the topic of health and healthcare. This year’s films were judged by a panel including Emily Peters, vice president, marketing communications at Practice Fusion, Disposable Film Festival co-founder Carlton Evans, Disposable Film Festival managing director Katie Gillum, and KTF Films Producer Chelsea Matter.

The Disposable Film Festival Health finalists:

1st Place Award – “OláGolá All-Ireland Skydive for the Prevention of Suicide” – Nathanael Macdonald – This short but powerful documentary follows the efforts of the OláGolá All-Ireland Skydive for the Prevention of Suicide group, which is determined to raise awareness of suicide and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues in Ireland.

2nd Place Award – “Bodil, 83” – Anne-Katrine Hansen – This film follows a day in the life of Bodil, an 83 year-old Danish woman working to maintain her independence while managing the aging process.

3rd Place Award – “American Artist” – Julie Sokolow – The film features an interview with Sigh Morningstar, an artist who has to manage his Crohn’s disease through major lifestyle changes due to his inability to afford health insurance.

“Practice Fusion is proud to support the creative community through this partnership with the Disposable Film Festival,” said Peters. “These films remind us that health affects our lives well beyond the medical office or the hospital.”

For his winning submission, Macdonald will receive a cash prize of $3,000, while the second- and third-place winners will receive $1,000 and $500, respectively. The grand prize-winning film will be screened at Practice Fusion’s upcoming Connect 2012 user conference on Nov. 8 at the Fort Mason center in San Francisco.

About Practice Fusion

Practice Fusion provides a free, web-based EMR system to physicians. With medical charting, scheduling, e-prescribing (eRx), lab integrations, referral letters, Meaningful Use certification, unlimited support and a Personal Health Record for patients, Practice Fusion’s EMR software addresses the complex needs of today’s healthcare providers and disrupts the health IT status quo. Practice Fusion is the fastest growing electronic medical record community in the country with more than 150,000 users serving 50 million patients. The company announced a $34 million Series C financing led by Artis Ventures in June. For more information about Practice Fusion, please visit www.practicefusion.com

About The Disposable Film Festival

Selected by MovieMaker Magazine as one the worldʼs “coolest film festivals,” the Disposable Film Festival (DFF) was created in 2007 to celebrate the artistic potential of disposable video—short films made on non-professional devices such as cell phones, pocket cameras and handycams, webcams, and other readily available video capture devices. The Disposable Film Festival hosts traditional theater and outdoor “Bike-In” screenings, competitions, filmmaking workshops and other events to showcase the best work within the disposable genre. The Disposable Film Festival premieres each year in San Francisco before traveling to cities across the country and internationally.